why didn't Lizzie set the record straight?

[snokkums]

I have always wondered why, after the trial, that Lizzie didn't speak up and set the record straight, if she didn't do it. I can understand why during the trial the lawyers might have told her to keep quiet, but after the trial, when everyone shunned her why didn't she tell. You know go to the papers and tell them what happened. I mean everyone in town pretty much disowned her, and didn't want anything to do with her. why not speak up then.

[Nadzieja]

It's just my opinion, but after having your entire life just totally examined by everybody and having alot of it published I would think she would just want to be left alone. She probably figured she'd had enough of everyone, especially the reporters. I'm kind of surprised she didn't become a total recluse. Also if the people in town had made up their minds already, what could possibly have changed them.

[kssunflower]

I have always wondered why, after the trial, that Lizzie didn't speak up and set the record straight, if she didn't do it. I can understand why during the trial the lawyers might have told her to keep quiet, but after the trial, when everyone shunned her why didn't she tell. You know go to the papers and tell them what happened. I mean everyone in town pretty much disowned her, and didn't want anything to do with her. why not speak up then.

Not only set the record straight, but encourage the authorities to find the real murderer, if she didn't do it......

[Kat]

I wonder when the girls finally rescinded the reward, now that you remind me, kssunflower. Maybe it's still in effect?
There is still dead Andrew's money financing some things in Fall River today.

[twinsrwe]

I think the only one who could possibly answer the question of why Lizzie didn't set the record straight, is Lizzie herself. For whatever reason(s), she chose to take what she knew to the grave with her.

[Harry]

It's just my opinion, but after having your entire life just totally examined by everybody and having alot of it published I would think she would just want to be left alone. She probably figured she'd had enough of everyone, especially the reporters. I'm kind of surprised she didn't become a total recluse. Also if the people in town had made up their minds already, what could possibly have changed them.

That's precisely my feelings as well. The public had pretty much made up it's mind and I can't think of anything that Lizzie could have said that would change those perceptions.

She answered the questions asked of her at the Inquest. We may or may not believe her answers but they were published and the public was aware of them. Lizzie's defense was that she was innocent and knew nothing about the crimes.

The police may have mishandled the crime scene but they did a surprisingly good pursuit of suspects. Once Lizzie was found not guilty the case was back in their hands. It was their job, not Lizzie's, to pursue it further.

[shakiboo]

Harry, did they pursue it after the trial? Or did they already know they had the killer and lost her?

[snokkums]

I think she might have felt, too, that everyone had already made their minds up.

But I would still try to set the record straight and to enocourage the authorites to find the right one. But I think that too that the police didn't want to worry with it after the situation.

[Harry]

Harry, did they pursue it after the trial? Or did they already know they had the killer and lost her?

From what I recollect they basically paid lip-service to further investigation. I believe they strongly felt that they had already discovered the killer. Since she was not able to be tried again they must have thought it a useless endeavor.

Then, as in most cases now, when the police zero in on one suspect they tend to emphasize the gathering of evidence with that person in mind. Little of what was gathered would have helped in the prosecution of someone else.

There is a TV show called "48 Hours" which stresses that the police need to move quickly after a crime as their ability to solve it deteriorates as time passes. At least today they have DNA, finger prints, etc. In 1892, with the then limited forensics available to the police, the time just after a crime would have been especially important. Lizzie was adjudged not guilty 10 months after the crimes. Where would the police even start?

[mbhenty]

Yes HARRY:

Fingerprinting was well known during the time of the murder's but not an accepted method to solving crimes. Towards the end of the 19 century a 3rd world country such as India was already using it to solve crimes. It was not until almost 10 years later that it was used to solve crimes in this country.

Mark Twain wrote about it in connection with a crime in his 1894 novel Pudd'nhead Wilson.

But, even with fingerprinting it would have been of little use. Lizzie's fingerprints were home at 92.

What the police really needed was the murder weapon. Even if the axe was found, and it could be proven that her fingerprints were on it, it would mean very little since she could make a good case that she used it to cut kindling.

[twinsrwe]

... Not only set the record straight, but encourage the authorities to find the real murderer, if she didn't do it......

Cindy, you may have already seen this, but thought if you haven't, you would be interested in knowing that Emma & Lizzie did have a reward notice published in the Fall River Daily Globe, a couple of days after the murders. Here is a copy of the reward notice, which I obtained permission from Kat to post here, since it is from her files.

(Click on the image to enlarge)

[twinsrwe]

... From what I recollect they basically paid lip-service to further investigation. I believe they strongly felt that they had already discovered the killer. Since she was not able to be tried again they must have thought it a useless endeavor.

Then, as in most cases now, when the police zero in on one suspect they tend to emphasize the gathering of evidence with that person in mind. Little of what was gathered would have helped in the prosecution of someone else. ...

I agree, Harry. Since it was 10 months after the murders occurred, it would be an impossible task.

[Yooper]

The general public would have the greatest interest in finding the murderer. If Lizzie was not that person, then the murderer was still at large and a possible threat. Lizzie and Emma were part of the general public, and they might have more reason to fear harm from a murderer who had already targeted their family. Did they make any special effort to keep themselves safe?

[shakiboo]

Thanks Harry, I guess it wouldn't really do much good after so long a time. Yooper I read somewhere (can't remember where) that Maplecroft, had bars on the basement windows, I thought the girls had them put in but not sure what the conclusion was for that. And Emma (suppoedly) kept an axe with in easy reach, after she moved out, now weather she also kept one around while at Maplecroft I don't know. But I always thought that strange, that she would chose the very weapon that killed half of her family, as a weapon to defend herself. Apparently she felt confident enough in it's use to use it for protection.

[Tina-Kate]

Did they make any special effort to keep themselves safe?

I don't think they really had to. The police were on guard outside the Borden house at least up until Lizzie was arrested. (Robinson used this as a special point in the trial, showing how Lizzie was virtually under house arrest from the moment the police arrived on the scene).

As for after that...all I can think of is there are bars on the basement windows at Maplecroft...but we don't know who installed them.

[Kat]

Some find it suspicious that Jennings was called in on Friday, probate was applied for and the notice of a reward was designed for Saturday. That's quick action!
I thought it might have been posted to show that the family had no confidence in the police.

[Yooper]

Actually, it might have been a good gamble to post the reward. If anyone came up with a perpetrator, regardless of guilt, it might save the Bordens thousands of dollars in legal fees over and above the amount of the reward!

[Kat]

Keeping an axe handy by Emma is an invention of the writer Frank Spiering. That was supposedly in the Newmarket house, in the latter 1920's.

[Kat]

I've kind've had an impression that Lizzie didn't mind so much her name in the papers. It seems to have come up several times over the years. Unless a lot of stuff printed in the paper was made up, in order to make her suffer.

[doug65oh]

In a way I can appreciate why Lizzie might have held her tongue and said nothing more about the murders in an effort to put things straight as it were. She really had two choices, and knew what would likely happen in either case. She could have:

1. Made some attempt to set matters right, but yet by so doing ran risk of getting herself in trouble yet again. She had only to review her own past experience to really understand what the consequences might be if she spoke intemperately or in haste.

2. She could have attempted to set things right by speaking out, but recognized that her efforts would be wasted. The townsfolk such as they were had already condemned and effectively sentenced her. (“Oh did you now? Hogwash!”)

Damnation is fairly cheap and easy to obtain - whether rightly or wrongly bestowed. Mercy is at times easier to come by from behind bars.

Or maybe she simply did not care. She had what she wanted right enough and there wasn’t much else to be concerned with, by her light.

[Yooper]

The general public would still have an interest in finding a murderer if Lizzie was not the culprit. Unless they thought Lizzie was guilty, they would have prodded the police to find the murderer. It would have crossed someone's mind to do so, certainly. If the population did not press for a resolution to the crime, then the vast majority probably thought Lizzie was the murderer. If Lizzie was aware of that, then further attempts at clearing her name might be considered futile. Either all that, or she knew for a fact that finding another perpetrator was impossible!

[Angel]

Maybe Lizzie had too many secrets to be able to divulge anything. If she did, she'd never be able to hold her head up again.

Possible scenerio: she had had a lesbian affair with Bridget or someone else and it resulted in the parents finding out, so, hence, the murders.

Another: She had an illicit or incestuous affair which resulted in her parents forcing her to have an abortion in the previous month before the murders (maybe involving Dr. Bowen and that's why he was acting weird).

etc. etc. etc.

She had fought her whole life to be respectable and classy- it would have devastated her to have everyone know what could have led to her or someone she knew killing her parents.

[Yooper]

I don't know Angel, it may be a bit inconsistent to be respectable and classy enough to kill your parents. Those are valuable attributes only if recognized by others, and apparently she had already lost that.

[Bob Gutowski]

I think she wanted to leave it all behind her, innocent OR guilty. That's our stoic, close-mouthed New Englander Lizbeth Borden!

[shakiboo]

I think Lizzie had an "in your face" attitde towards the people of Fall River. She didn't lock herself away hiding behind the curtains of Maplecroft. She went abroad, and went to the theater. She got involved with Nance and brought her and other's back to her home. I'm sure the people traveling with Nance to Fall River weren't all females. She went to the Worlds Fair, and probably alot of other place's. Emma was more of a recluse then Lizzie, but then she had always been. It would make more sense if it had been Emma and Uncle John who put their heads together to hire some one to do away with the elder Bordens. Emma hated Abbie and had always done so. And she was close to her uncle. They did have air tight alibies. What if they thought Lizzie would be out of town during that time, she was supposed to be.

[Kat]

Angels idea of too many secrets might not be wrong- Victorian times were defined by secrets- secret lives, secret lusts, secret character flaws.
Just maybe not so melodramatic or huge even- just enough secrets to keep still.

As for respectable- Lizzie could never be that after Judge Blaisdell took away her good name by calling her *probably guilty.* If the grand jury was never even given the case to decide upon an indictment, she still would have been ruined. I don't know if Lizzie really realized that.

She was supposed to have said, in answer as to why she stayed in Fall River- that she wanted to be there to look her city in the eye when the real killer was caught. Maybe she never said it.

I did find a July, 1893 snippet from the papers that the State Police (2 men) were still looking for clues, on the orders of a district attorney. Harry told me that the DA could get help this way and here I find it. It said it was not known what they were accomplishing.

[twinsrwe]

I can understand why Lizzie didn't wish to pursue trying to find the real killer - the public had made up their minds that Lizzie was as guilty as sin, and they were not about to change their opinion just because Lizzie claimed she didn't do it. Nor did they change their minds when Emma claimed she believed Lizzie was innocent because there was no weapon found.

However, I have always wondered why Emma didn't insist that a search be continued for the real killer. After all, if she truly believed with all of her heart that her sister was innocent, then why in the world would she not insist that the real killer be found? Emma was even more guilty of not seeking justice for her father's brutal murder than Lizzie was.

Both of these women allowed the real killer to go free, and no justice was ever obtained for their father's hideous murder. Some love those girls had for their beloved father!